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Survey: Impact of sexual ad imagery on girls

According to the results of a survey released by the Toronto-based Canadian Women's Foundation, 90% of Canadians feel that exposure to "unrealistic sexy imagery of women" in advertising is a problem for girls growing up in Canada. Of these respondents, 62% called the issue a major problem, while 28% referred to it as a minor problem. In addition, 88% of respondents feel that exposure to such imagery in television and movies also contributes to problems for girls. "When girls have constant exposure to unrealistic images of sexualized women, they become critical about their bodies and may start to believe their main value comes from their appearance, rather than their intelligence or other strengths," said Beth Malcolm, director of the Girls' Fund program at the foundation. "This can lead to problems such as eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression." The online survey was conducted by Angus Reid.